Jet engines of high performance aircraft often use afterburners, also known as augmentors. Increased performance is achieved at the expense of efficiency by injecting fuel and burning it between the gas turbine and the exhaust nozzle. For this injection of fuel, spray rings are often used which are comprised of annular rings located within the gas flow path having a supply line, and arranged to discharge the fuel into the gas stream.
These spray rings are exposed to the gas temperature and accordingly expand and contract therewith. They further are cooled to some extent during operation by the fuel passing therethrough. Accordingly these rings must be supported in the high velocity gas stream in a manner which permits expansion and contraction with respect to the augmentor housing.
A flexible fuel feed line is used to permit the appropriate expansion The spray ring, however, must be supported at several other locations. Flexible supports would permit continued vibration and fatigue failure of the arrangement. Since operation of flexible supports must be in an acceptable strain range, there would also be possible creep deformation.
The current spray rings use either a post and bushing mount or a mount lug bolted to a slotted bracket. These allow for radial movement of the spray ring. These mounts wear excessively in a short period of time and require a costly repair to the spray ring. The worn post and mount lugs are cut out of the spray ring and the new parts are welded in place. It is also important that the ring be supported in the prescribed location to avoid strains induced by improper mounting. Accordingly, it is important that an error proof mounting scheme be used.